Indians 6, Angels 1: Sabathia wins 17th game

ANAHEIM, Calif. — C.C. Sabathia tied for the major league lead with his 17th win, pitching his fourth complete game of the season to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. Cleveland’s lead over Detroit in the AL Central remained at five games, as did the Angels’ nine-game lead over Seattle in the AL West, due to the Tigers’ 12-6 win over the Mariners. Sabathia (17-7) pulled even with Josh Beckett of the Red Sox and Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees, while equaling the career high he established as a rookie in 2001 — the last time the Indians made the playoffs. The left-hander allowed five hits and induced four double-play grounders, two of them by Robb Quinlan. Sabathia did not allow a runner past first base until an RBI single by Juan Rivera in the eighth. The complete game was the 16th in 216 career starts for the three-time All-Star. Three of the Angels’ hits didn’t leave the infield, and two of them were line drives off Sabathia’s body by Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick. Ervin Santana (6-13) was charged with three runs — two earned — and six hits over 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander left the game trailing 3-0 after giving up two-out RBI singles to Jhonny Peralta and Kenny Lofton in the sixth. Travis Hafner made it 5-0 in the seventh with a two-run double and Grady Sizemore added an RBI triple in the eighth. Angels All-Star right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who missed his third straight game because of tendinitis in his right triceps, underwent a CT scan on Saturday and is day to day. Garret Anderson’s streak of consecutive games with an RBI ended at 12 games, two shy of the AL record set by Tris Speaker in May 1928 with the Philadelphia Athletics, and five off the major league mark Ray Grimes set in 1922 with the Chicago Cubs. Anderson was 0-for-4 and came to bat each time with the bases empty. Santana matched zeros with Sabathia until the fifth, when Peralta led off with a single and Franklin Gutierrez beat out an infield hit on a bang-bang play as shortstop Orlando Cabrera backed up on the slow bouncer. The Indians executed a double steal as Casey Blake struck out, and Peralta continued home when Jeff Mathis’ throw sailed into left field. Notes:@ Switch-hitting CF Gary Matthews Jr. did not start. He is batting .180 right-handed and is 5-for-20 lifetime against Sabathia. … The Angels’ starting outfield consisted of Quinlan in LF, Reggie Willits in CF and Rivera in RF. Anderson was the DH. It was the first time neither Anderson, Matthews nor Guerrero started in the outfield since June 27. … Switch-hitting 3B baseman Chone Figgins also didn’t start for the Angels. He still can’t swing right-handed without pain because of a bruised left wrist. He won’t take batting practice from the right side until Tuesday.